Silver & Gray

The Pacific Northwest coast is officially a temperate rainforest renowned for its timber. Since everything flows into the sea, our beaches get a fresh batch of driftwood with each passing winter. Large trees like these are rare of course, but they also stick around for decades. There is a wonderful silvery hue, a patina if you will; these old logs develop over the years of living life in the sun and rain.

In the foggy background of this watercolor are the “Sisters” of Siletz Bay, one of my favorite subjects to paint. Inspiration took root when I noticed the basic form of the Sisters repeated in miniature in what was left of the limbs on the driftlog. I use the design principle of repetition frequently in my work to unify the composition.